MarketingShift Online Marketing Blog

Monday, May 04, 2009

Dwight Howard Asks Twitter & Facebook Fans For Wrestling Nickname

With only a few hours remaining before tipoff to round two of the NBA playoffs, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, is tapping his social networks to create a second identity - a wrestling nickname.Apparently, the National Basketball Association's defensive player of the year is expanding his horizons as an entertainer. For Dwight's fans, this should come as no surprise. The young star is often compared to Shaq for his sense of humor and style of play. Howard poked fun at his predecessor in this video.As refreshing as it is to see a NBA superstar reaching out to his fanbase, Howard held out on revealing the winning nickname until after the Magic vs. Celtics game tonight, an obvious ploy to lure more playoff viewers.

Judging from Howard the frequency of Dwight Howard's Tweets on Twitter and updates Facebook, he enjoys the dialogue with his fans. To keep the dialogue as genuine and transparent as possible, Howard should negotiate for more freedom with his site to remove the barriers of direct communication in his social networks. In a league defined by personalities, the NBA has every incentive to regulate player interactions with the press, but that doesn't mean they should control social networks as well.

Marketing Shift is the property of Jason Dowdell. All views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only,
protected by the First Amendment and are not representative of any company listed. All trademarks, slogans, text or logo representation
used or referred to in this website are the property of their respective owners.